Technology Meets the Cartwright's
by DreamWeaver234
Summary: Little Joe buys a laptop without his pa's permission, and it soon causes havoc for everyone.


**Technology Meets the Cartwright's**

**By Katelyn D.**

"Joe! Hoss! Stop it the both of you." Ben growled looking up from his book. "Joseph, if you aren't going to play correctly, don't play at all. And Hoss," Ben looked at him sternly. "Stop that tapping!"

"Yes, sir," Hoss obeyed glaring Joe down with an evil eye.

A smirk played on Little Joe's face and his bright eyes glanced over to Hoss. "So, do you want to play another game?"

"Why you little!"

Before the two brothers could go head to head with another argument a knock echoed through the room.

Ben gazed up and scanned the door before answering it. "Hello," Ben greeted eyeing the short, stubby man with a careless uniform on. "What can I do for you?"

The miniature guy stared up at him with annoyance before handing him a piece of paper, and a pen. "Sign this."

"Why?" Ben questioned confused as he studied the creased document.

"Gee Pa!" Joe jumped up from the settee. "You shouldn't have!"

"What is this all about," Ben exclaimed, now appearing like a soldier ready for war.

Joe turned to his father with a one of the innocent smiles he had ever put on. "Pa, you bought us a laptop."

"I what," Ben questioned astonished.

"You bought us a laptop," Little Joe repeated cheerfully.

"How?" Ben thundered. "I don't even know what such a thing is!"

Adam glanced at his father, and then narrowed his eyes to the clipboard. "Well pa, it says your debit card number right there."

Joe's grin slipped, and he turned away.

Ben saw the look on his youngest, and already knew of what he had done. "So Joseph, you bought this…this piece of whatever it is didn't you?"

"Yes sir," Little Joe turned to face his father again.

The guy with the box stared nervously, and quickly spoke up. "Um sir, will you please sign here. I have other packages to drop off."

Ben's gaze on his third child went to the short man. Eyeing the box made his insides deprive gladness. "Fine since someone already paid for it. I'll go ahead and take it."

Joe's face filled with glee again, but turned when he saw his father's dark look on him again.

Ben's dark brown eyes cornered Joe's being into a corner from the second he glared at him. Handing Adam the package, his baritone voice poured into the room.

"Joseph! I am ashamed of you, out of all the foolish things you have done, this has to be the worst."

"But pa, you don't even know what this thing can do." Joe piped up, trying to get his words in before anybody else did.

"Well, I don't know what this…this thing can do, but I know what I'll do with it!" Ben grabbed the package that lay casually in Adam's arms, and headed for the front door.

"Wait pa!" Joe collided into the door where his father once stood. "Pa, please. I'm the only person in my school that doesn't have one. Pa, please. Just let me show you what this electronic can do and I know you'll love it!"

Ben stared at his youngest sorrowful look, and began to buy in to the idea. I mean it must be something worthy if his son went against an important rule; never to use his money without permission.

"Fine, but on one condition," Ben stopped to make sure his third boy was taking in what he was about to say. "You are responsible for anything that happens to it. If this thing is to be destroyed in any way you will figure out what do with it."

Joe smiled quickly agreeing to the terms.

"One more thing, you're grounded. I'll give you your extra chores tomorrow."

"Yes sir." Joe dropped his head in frustration, and sighed.

The screen lit up practically the whole bedroom, and even though Joe's eyes were wary he continued to keep his eyes pinned on his current game he was playing on it.

The buzzer went off, and forgetting the volume was left on full blast, the computer nearly woke up the whole house. Joe cursed under his breath tumbling from the chair that was once sitting on.

Across the hall Ben bolted up in bed, due to ruckus. His tired body lifted himself up, and made way to the other side of the house.

"Joseph, what do you think your doing?"

Joe was already back and playing the game like a rebel. "I-I am playing a game pa."

Ben eyed the strange digital age entertainment, and instead of becoming irritated he became interested in it. "Why are you shooting people?"

Keeping his eyes on the screen, and hand on the controller he answered Ben's question. "Well, the object game is to shoot as many people as you can within your time frame. The more you kill, the more points you get. Only if you don't get enough points you don't make it to the next round."

Ben tried his hardest to absorb every word he said, but it was all too confusing.

Little Joe smirked while completing his latest level. "Here pa, why don't you try?"

"Well, alright. I mean it doesn't look that hard."

Joe put the controller in his father's hands, and showed his the buttons he had to press. By the time his father was playing Joe was enjoying the action of it all, and cheering him on.

"Gee pa, you sure are doing well." _He sure must be out of it if he hasn't realized the time, and I am going to have to redo this level._

Ben did the same thing as his son, and kept his hands and eyes on the controller and screen. "Well, thank you." The buzzer went off, and a losing sign blinked off and on the computer screen. "Well, I tried my best. I think I'll try again, just till I get to the next level."

Only Ben pressed a wrong button, and the laptop went to the homepage, and the time shown brightly 2:03 am. Ben glared at it, not sure if to believe it. Ben stood up, and glared at his son sternly.

"Joseph, if the time on this thing is correct, then you should have been in bed a long time ago."

Joe's eyes were closed, his head leaning back in the nearest chair, and a smile grew more and more. All because he thought his pa was playing still.

"Joseph!"

Joe jumped a little, and realized finally that the laptop was on the desktop. "Yes pa."

"Joe get to bed now, and if I get up and see you on that thing one more time…you'll be sorry!"

Joe grimaced at his tone, and threat. The thing he had now owned and adored for only a short while was shut off, and the tiredness in him crept up and soon consumed him fully.

"Joseph get off that thing now! Have you started your chores yet?" Ben boomed his irritation spiked every single time he saw the new thing that was consuming his teenage boy.

"N-No pa, I haven't."

"Well then you better get off that comp…comp…that thing before I skin you alive! Now march!"

Joe jumped off the chair and ran out the bedroom door quickly, but hollering "It's called a computer, Pa!"

Ben sighed in frustration. He lifted the laptop up and carried it downstairs, placing it on his desk.

"I don't know how he knows how to work it so well. I don't even know there is this button called "Shift" or "Caps Locks," and how does he do capital letters." Ben commented to Adam as his son stared at the object curiously.

"Well, he does learn these things in school,Pa." Adam put down his book letting his interest consume him. "Here, let me see."

Adam began to browse websites, clicking here and there. He entered a strange site he thought called "YouTube", but one that seemed even stranger called "Facebook." He discovered his little brother's Facebook to, and saw that he was still logged in.

"Hey pa, look at this."

Ben glanced at the crazy website that seemed unneeded in society, or at least his. "What is it?"

"It's a website called Facebook." Adam his brother "liked" certain things, numerous singers, companies, and even his school. Adam looked through everything, not even paying attention that it was personal information. The singers he saw stood out in his mind like Pat Benetar, Cyndi Lauper, and Lady Antebellum.

Only as his fingers wandered throughout everything he accidentally clicked "Log-out." That didn't stop him though; he immediately clicked "Sign-Up."

Joe strutted his way through the front door, not minding what his eldest brother was doing.

"Hey Joe," Adam called before his brother placed a foot on t he staircase.

"What?"

"How do you add friends?" Adam didn't notice he was too amused by everything he was looking at.

"What are you doing?" Joe's temper increased a little. He thought of what his brother might have seen, the girls he befriended.

"I've made a Facebook account, and wanted to know how to work certain things. I figured you could help me." Adam explained looking suspiciously at his youngest brother.

Joe glanced seeing that Adam didn't seem to know anything; he showed his brother the ins and outs of the website.

The Cartwright boys ate intently on their dinners while talking about daily events, and boring subjects.

"I really do appreciate you helping me with adding friends Joe. I have already have 234, and that was just yesterday. I can just imagine how many want to be my friend today." Adam started thanking and then made a comment his pa didn't need to know. "Of course Joe has on the other hand has four hundred more than I, most of them girls."

Little Joe blushed, and squirmed under his fathers glare.

"Joseph, how many of those girls do you actually know?"

"A lot Pa," Joe gulped knowing full well that his father knew the answer.

"Oh I am sure. Young man, unless you know those girls, I want them blocked from your account! Adam you make sure that he does."

"Yes sir." Joe sighed a tiny a bit, happy that his father didn't give him more trouble about it.

"I'll be sure of it,Pa." Adam obeyed taking another piece of chicken. "Besides I need to make sure he friends me."

Hoss' smile broadened. "Hey Joe, you afraid Adam's going to find out who your girl is?"

"Why would you think that, Hoss? I mean it isn't like I would be secretly posting of how you are falling in love with Lady Antebellum." Joe commented, his green eyes more expressive. "Her eyes make my stomach flutter, and her singing fills me joy like honey and toast when I'm hungry." Joe rolled his eyes, going back to his plate.

Ben began laughing quickly turning it to a cough and Adam about fell of his chair with laughter.

Hoss stood up his hand beating, his hand beating against the table. "Why you little-how did you find out about that?"

Joe laughed with the rest of them. "It's called renaming your "I Love Her Like Honey" writing."

"Joe if you tell anybody. I'll-I'll…"

"Alright boys, that is enough!"

"Get off the computer!" Hoss growled.

"No!" Joe fought back. "You have money, get your own."

"The both of you both you get off. I'm the oldest, and I need to get on." Adam ordered waiting patiently for his brother to move his butt.

"No!"

Adam easily picked his brother up, and through him onto the floor. By the time his brother got up, he was on a new one called "Twitter."

"Get off!" Joe was more than furious, but curiosity was overwhelmed when he saw what was on the computer screen:

Wow, brother is so easy to toss around. Yup, he can't beat me and my skills. Ladies, don't worry. He is ok. He just learned not to mess with "the man." Text me, I'm free anytime.

"What is that?"

"Nothing, get to bed. I'll tell, pa if you don't. You should been an hour ago."

Joe eyed him not really caring about bed. _What happened to the encyclopedia Adam, the Yankee Granite Head Adam?_

"I need the internet boys. I need to update a few things, and print out copies."

Joe was trying to fix, but it just didn't want to work. What was his pa going to do?

"Um pa, it isn't exactly working right now."

"What do you mean?"

"The screen's cracked. It needs a replacement."

Ben looked up as if someone in the sky could do something, and then sighed in frustration. "I just want something to last once. Nothing last here, it's broke within a week too."

Joe gulped. _Good thing he can't get a look at the bills for the phones. He would be giving me a thrashing if he found out about my calls to Spain, and the 789 text messages._

"He's not online!" The girl cried to her friend.

"Well, we have his number. We can find where he lives."

"True!"

"Look I found it already!Virginia City,Nevada?"

The girl who was once crying had her travel bag already packed and the keys in her hands. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go get him!"

Ben, Adam, and Hoss stayed in the house. The curtains down, and the doors covered with furniture. The girls could be heard screaming from the outside. Some were wails of concern others screaming for a kiss.

Joe was riding in at that moment, scared of the crowd of strangers but not enough to run. Only that was frightened Joe was well earned when the girls grew quiet, and they yelled at the top of their lungs now. All of them trampled at his like a herd of loco steer. Hands gripped him ripping off his shirt, stealing his boots; one even had a pair of scissors and cut off a lock of his hair.

"Well boys, I think we have learned our lessons. Never trust technology again."


End file.
